1. Technical Field
One or more of the embodiments of the present invention generally relate to a system and method for controlling a vehicle climate control system in response to executing a remote start operation.
2. Background Art
Current vehicles offer a remote start feature whereby a vehicle occupant may start an engine of the vehicle in response to toggling a key fob or other radio frequency (RF) based transmitter while positioned away from the vehicle. In response to the engine starting, a climate control system in the vehicle generally defaults to the last known state (i.e., state of the climate control system after previous engine shut off). In some cases, defaulting the climate control system to the last known state may not meet the vehicle occupant's climate control needs/desire. For example, in the event the climate control system is turned off or to a cooling mode in the last known state and the vehicle occupant wants the vehicle to pre-heat after remotely starting the vehicle, the climate control system is not capable of complying with the occupant's needs.
In the event the climate control system is set to a climate mode that is desired by the occupant, such a condition may cause the climate control system to operate at maximum levels (e.g., increased blower speed) until the previously set temperature as defined from the from the last known state is achieved. Such a condition may increase fuel consumption. Further, climate control settings defined from the last known state may not be optimal for achieving the desired temperature. For example, a climate control system may blow in air from the exterior of the vehicle and pre-heat the air in the event the climate control system is configured to receive such exterior air based on the previous setting. However, in some cases it may be advantageous to use air from within the cabin of the vehicle to achieve the desired temperature for pre-heat conditions. Such a condition may inherently cause the climate control system to take longer to achieve the desired hotter temperature and lead to increased fuel consumption.